The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for lifting small vehicles such as motorcycles for maintenance and storage purposes.
There are many different prior art lifts designed for use with small vehicles such as motorcycles, motorbikes, snowmobiles, garden tractors, and the like. Typically, these lifts use a jack to raise a platform or arms supporting either the vehicle ground engaging portion (tires, treads, etc.) or the vehicle frame.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,303 shows a boom pivoted at one end on the upper end of a post and a hydraulic cylinder for raising and lowering the boom. A platform is attached to an opposite end of the boom for supporting a vehicle.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,158 shows a lift for mopeds and motorcycles having a base, a jack for raising and lowering a frame hinged to the base and a support attached to the frame for clamping the footboard of a Vespa brand moped.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,756 shows a lift with four vertically telescoping legs that can be pinned in place when a jack has raised the lift to the desired height.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,985 shows a low-profile hydraulic lift with a pivoted lift arm having detachable lift heads which include hooks, support yokes, chains and support harnesses.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,265 shows a scissors-type snowmobile lift with rails to contact the snowmobile bellypan.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,603 shows a lifting platform connected to a base by four parallel links actuated by a hydraulic jack.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,787 shows a manually operated motorcycle lift with a front wheel clamp and a removable extension under the unsupported rear wheel.
The present invention concerns an apparatus for lifting a small vehicle, such as a motorcycle, for various purposes such as cleaning, maintenance, repositioning from one location to another and storage. The lift apparatus includes: a base frame having a pair of ground engaging caster means and an upwardly extending center post; a pair of folding legs each having an inner end pivotally connected to the base frame and an outer end with a roller attached thereto, the casters and the rollers permitting the lift apparatus to roll across the ground surface; a parallelogram linkage having a pair of upper long links, a pair of lower long links extending generally parallel to the upper long links, an outer short link, and an inner short link formed by a portion of the center post, the upper long links being connected by first and second pivot means to the inner and outer short links respectively, the lower long links being connected by third and fourth pivot means to the inner and outer short links respectively; a vehicle support means attached to the outer short link of the parallelogram linkage; an actuator means having a lower end pivotally connected to the base frame and an upper end connected to the upper long links by a fifth pivot means whereby extension of the actuator means raises the vehicle support means between a lowered position for engaging and disengaging from a vehicle and a fully raised position a predetermined distance above the ground on which the base frame rests, the fourth pivot means being selectively operative to detach the outer short link from the lower long links and permit rotation of the vehicle support means to a storage position; and at least one of a pumping handle and a power unit connected to the actuator means for selectively activating the actuator means to raise the vehicle support means.
The actuator means can be a hydraulic cylinder and the power unit can include an electric motor driving a hydraulic pump providing pressured hydraulic fluid to the cylinder. The lift apparatus includes fastener means for selectively retaining the legs in the lowered position and in the raised position. The vehicle support means includes a pair of spaced apart support arms and vehicle attachment means connected to the support arms for holding a vehicle on the support arms, the vehicle attachment means including at least one bracket slidingly mounted on each of the support arms, each of the brackets having a vehicle engaging hook connected thereto.